Lunchbox snacks: Fibre Energy Balls

Getting healthy and delicious snacks into your child’s lunchbox can be a challenge.

Therapy Focus Dietitian Maddie Todd has a great alternative to sugary snacks with her Fibre Energy Balls.

Check out the recipe –

*Please note this may not be appropriate for children who have texture modified dietary requirements.*

Fibre energy balls

Ingredients

70 g pumpkin seeds

20 g puffed brown rice or puffed quinoa

50 g whole almonds

80 g dates

1 cm piece of fresh turmeric or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 heaped teaspoon quality cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ tablespoon honey

1 orange

Method

Blitz 40g of the pumpkin seeds into a fine dust in a food processor, then decant onto a plate.

Place the remaining pumpkin seeds and the puffed rice or quinoa in the processor with the almonds and dates (destone first), then blitz until finely chopped.

Peel and finely grate in the turmeric, if using fresh, or add the ground turmeric, along with the cinnamon, cocoa powder and a pinch of sea salt.

Blitz again until finely ground, then add the vanilla, honey and half the orange juice.

Blitz for another 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times, and adding an extra squeeze of orange juice to bind, only if needed – it takes a while for the mixture to come together, so be patient and let the processor work its magic.

With wet hands, divide into 24 and roll into balls, dropping them into the pumpkin seed dust as you go.

Shake to coat, storing them in the excess dust until needed. They’ll keep happily for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.